Gunfire Breaks Out in Indonesia Disaster Zone
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Suspected rebels fired shots early Sunday at the home of a top police official near the United Nations' (search) relief headquarters in the tsunami-ravaged Indonesian city of Banda Aceh, officials said. There were no casualties.
An unspecified number of Free Aceh Movement (search) rebels fired at officers guarding the home of Aceh province's deputy police chief, located about 100 meters (yards) from the U.N. building, said police Sgt. Bambang Hariyanpo. Police returned fire but the rebels vanished into the city, he said, adding authorities were investigating the incident.
Police and U.N. officials said the U.N.'s relief headquarters was not the target of the shooting, in which there were no casualties.
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A truckload of soldiers arrived outside the building shortly after the automatic gunfire was heard, a U.N. staffer said on condition of anonymity.
The shooting underscores concerns about security during the relief effort in Aceh, which was devastated by the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami.
The Free Aceh rebels have been fighting a low-level war against Indonesian troops for an independent homeland in Aceh for more than 20 years. They declared a unilateral cease-fire and the military said it would not target suspected rebels during the emergency, but clashes have broken out in recent days